Shiromani Akali Dal councillor Simarjit Singh Bains may have been accused of assaulting tehsildar Major Gurjinder Singh Benipal (Retd), but for residents of areas around Shimlapuri, he remains innocent.

A large number of people thronged the court premises, where he was produced on Wednesday, and offered court arrest in support of Bains. The gathering, with a sizeable number of women, carried placards with slogans in favour of Bains.

While Bains was produced in the court of Duty Magistrate Jatinder Pal Singh Wehniwal at 3.30 pm, people had started pouring in since around 11 am. They sat on the ground, braving the scorching sun, and recited a religious prayer.

As Bains was brought out of the courtroom around 4 pm, his supporters started raising slogans. A heavy police force had been deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

Talking to mediapersons, the supporters said Bains was innocent and had been falsely implicated in the case.

Speaking on similar lines like his defence counsel, the gathering claimed that Bains was not present at the tehsildar’s office when the mob assaulted Benipal.

Attack on tehsildar

Revenue officials to continue stir

The revenue officials’ Joint Action Committee (JAC), formed to seek justice for tehsildar Benipal, reiterated its decision to continue with their strike and demanded the suspension of the Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police. The revenue officials claimed that the Financial Commissioner (Revenue) had threatened them to withdraw the strike. — ENS